"I'm serious," the Blob's voice echoed in Aaron's mind, tinged with indignation.
Aaron simply rolled his eyes and turned to Aurora. "Mom, do you have another summoning book? This guy here is useless; all he seems to know how to do is eat."
'How dare you!' the mental voice seethed.
"Shut up!" Aaron muttered aloud.
"You can understand him... Wait, is it a boy or a girl?" Lilly asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"This Blob sounds like an over-age man," Aaron said, gently placing the pulsating red mass on the ground.
"I'm sorry, Aaron, I don't have another summoning book. You might have gained what seems like a useless familiar now, but I have a feeling that with time, it will prove to be something extraordinary," Aurora said, offering him a reassuring smile.
'I like her already,' the Blob's voice echoed in Aaron's mind.
'We all do,' Aaron mentally replied, nodding at Aurora.
"I understand, Mom. This guy might just be hiding his true potential," Aaron said, trying to convince himself that this amorphous creature was anything but ordinary.
'You know I can hear your thoughts. You might be my Master, but you also have to respect me. If you think I'm useless, feed me, and I'll show you,' the Blob insisted mentally.
Aaron paused, considering this, then said to Aurora, "Mom, he says I should feed him, and then we'll see what he's capable of."
Aurora looked surprised. 'This is strange. A newly summoned familiar shouldn't be able to communicate with its Master like this. Is Aaron's different?' She turned to Lilly. "Can Snow also talk to you, Lilly?"
"Uh? Nope, I haven't heard anything from Snow," Lilly answered, she and the white Baby Eagle staring at the red Blob on the ground with slight frowns.
'Why are these two staring at me like that?!' the Blob grumbled mentally.
"Shut up. You said I should feed you; I'll do just that," Aaron said, heading towards the kitchen.
Everyone watched as he returned with a plate of roasted meat.
'What the hell is this, Master?! Did I tell you I'm carnivorous?!' the Blob's mental voice was laced with disgust.
"What happened? Why are his eyes wide open?" Lilly asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
'Master, I can sense a powerful energy within this creature. Perhaps he's not so useless after all,' Diamond said, landing gently on Aurora's shoulder.
'Really?' Aurora thought, a flicker of hope igniting within her.
Diamond nodded her draconic head.
"Then what do you eat?" Aaron asked the Blob, ignoring Lilly's question.
'I eat energy, you retard! Not physical food!!' the mental voice snapped.
Aaron frowned slightly and turned to Aurora. "He says he eats energy? How the hell am I going to find energy to give him?"
"Energy?" Aurora pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Wait for me." She walked towards her room.
"Why does this Blob want to eat energy?" Lilly squatted down in front of the red mass, peering at it curiously.
'Don't you dare call me a Blob!' the mental voice retorted.
Snow, meanwhile, hopped towards the plate of meat and began to peck at it.
"Can't you be like Snow for once?" Aaron asked the Blob, a note of frustration in his voice.
'I'm a high blood, Master. I don't eat things low-bloods like this consume,' the Blob declared mentally.
"You?" Aaron was speechless.
Aurora returned, holding a crimson Core in her hand.
"Are you kidding me?" Aaron muttered under his breath.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Skeleton Soldier's Core. Class: Epic. Info: Once a loyal soldier to the Demon Lord.}
"This is a Core of an Enraged-Stage Skeleton. The Skeleton was exceptional in swordsmanship and possessed very high defense. It took both Diamond and I to defeat it, even though I'm a realm above it," Aurora explained with a smile. She crouched down and offered the Core to the Blob.
"I'm giving this to you. As far as I know, Familiars aren't typically able to absorb Cores; they grow stronger as their master grows stronger. But it seems you are different."
The Blob opened its mouth impossibly wide and swallowed the entire Core. The only sound they heard was a faint crunching noise as the hard core was pulverized within its gelatinous form.
{All Seeing Eyes}
{Name: ?? (Shifter). Class: ??. Info: ??. Transformation (1/5): Skeleton Soldier. (Lv1).}
'What the butt?' Aaron thought, his mind reeling.
The next moment, everyone watched in astonishment as the 30-centimeter Blob began to grow rapidly. Its amorphous body expanded, contorting into an unfamiliar shape, and in a matter of ten seconds, a six-foot-tall, crimson Skeleton stood before them, a red broadsword materializing in its bony hand.
Aurora: "What?"
Aaron: ".....!!"
Diamond: "A Shifter?!"
Snow: "....."
Lilly: "WoW! That was Cool!!"
"How do I look now? Am I still useless?" the red skeleton asked, its glowing red eyes fixed on Aaron.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: ??.}
{Realm: Enraged-stage.}
{Class: Swordsman.}
{Race: Skeleton.}
{Strength: 700.}
{Agility: 1,000.}
{Defense: 2,500.}
{Endurance: 1,000.}
{Skill Mastered: Crescent Blood Slash, Flash Mutilate.}
{Attack: 400. Critical - 800. Death Strike: 1,000.}
{Health Point: 5,000.}
{Improvement: Eating another Skeleton Soldier's Core will increase the Skeleton's transformation strength and speed.}
Aaron nearly jumped for joy as he scanned the Skeleton's profile. 'Does that mean he can take the form and use the skills of any Monster's Core he absorbs? Any...?' A smirk spread across his face. "Wait here," he said to the Skeleton, turning to Lilly. "What about the Core I gave you?"
"Oh, it's in my bag. It's in the kitchen!" Lilly exclaimed, quickly rushing out of the room. Within ten seconds, she was back, holding a similar-looking Core.
"So..." Aaron took the Core from her and turned to his familiar. "If you absorb this and change into that Monster, I'll treat you to food anytime you want."
"Slow down, Master. I can only take the form of five Monsters with your current strength," the Skeleton replied.
"My current strength?" Aaron was taken aback.
"It seems this guy drew energy from you to be able to take more forms. So if you get stronger, Aaron, the more forms he can take," Aurora explained, her eyes wide with understanding.
"You are smart, Mom," the Skeleton said to Aurora. No one could tell if it was smiling or not, given its lack of facial muscles.
"That means I have to get stronger. The lynx Core isn't strong enough; you'll only absorb the Cores of powerful Monsters, so you'll have all their skills and powers," Aaron said, clenching his fist, a determined grin on his face. "We'll be feared by our enemies!" He stared at the Skeleton for a moment, then declared, "I'll call you Protean."
The Skeleton paused for a moment, its red eyes seeming to consider the name, then nodded. "I thought you were a retard, Master, but you're quite smart."
Lilly looked at Snow, who was still happily pecking at the roasted meat, and sighed. 'What can you do, Snow? Brother's Familiar is already this great. I wonder what you can do.'
'Enter the Saint Realm, and you'll find out,' Snow's voice echoed directly in Lilly's mind.
Lilly's eyes widened in shock. She looked down at Snow, who had turned her head towards her. "Snow just spoke to me!" she exclaimed.
"Wow, that's lovely! My babies are very talented," Aurora said with a bright smile, while Aaron and the Skeleton simultaneously facepalmed.